Editing as a psychological practice

Area of Science:

• Analytical Psychology
• Scholarly Publishing

Background:

• Examines the role of Jungian analysts as editors of manuscripts from creative colleagues.
• Draws on historical precedents, including Jung's editorial interactions and the author's own experiences.

Observation:

• The analytic editor must possess generosity, erudition, and availability.
• Key skills include clarifying psychological arguments and assessing the text's impact.
• Editors must manage transference/countertransference dynamics, particularly competition and envy.

Findings:

• The editor functions as a selfobject and midwife to the author.
• Transference can occur towards the editor, but a more profound transference is directed at the text itself.
• This transference motivates the editor's dedication to manuscript care.

Implications:

• Highlights the unique psychological demands and rewards of academic editing within analytical psychology.
• Suggests that the editor's role is crucial for nurturing scholarly communication and the development of psychoanalytic ideas.
• Emphasizes the importance of understanding transference dynamics in the author-editor relationship for effective collaboration.